An assessment for Omaha roads projects for the next couple of decades outlines areas where the city needs it the most.

An assessment for Omaha roads projects for the next couple of decades outlines areas where the city needs it the most.

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Updated: 8:16 AM CDT Aug 21, 2014

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WEBVTT WANT BETTER ROADS? IT COULD MEAN A HALF-BILLION DOLLAR PRICE TAG. GOOD THAT NUMBER IS FROM A NEW NEEDS ASSESSMENT.. IT'S NOT FINAL, AND CITY OFFICIALS SAY THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE. KETV'S NEWSWATCH SEVEN'S ALEXANDRA STONE IS AT SIX. I'M HERE AT 168TH NEAR PACIFIC. IT'S ONE OF THE ROADS INCLUDED IN THE ASSESSMENT AS NEEDING HELP NOW. CITY ENGINEER TODD PFITZER TELLS ME THIS ROAD IS MEANT TO CARRY BETWEEN 12-AND FOURTEEN THOUSAND CARS PER DAY. IT'S AVERAGING 26 -THOUSAND. BUT AS ROADS LIKE THIS SEE PLANS FOR EXPANSION...CITY COUNCILMEMBERS HAVE CONCERN SOME ROADS MAY DRIVE ANYWHERE IN OMAHA AND MANY ROADS ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF IMPROVEMENTS. BUT THE CITY SAYS THERE'S NOT ENOUGH MONEY.(TODD PFITZER - it;s always a challenge to figure out how much funding do we really need. we know we don't have enough. ) THAT'S BECAUSE PFITZER ESTIMATES IT COULD COST CLOSE COMPLETE ALL THE PROJECTS THAT NEED ATTENTION OVER THE COUPLE DECADES. THE CITY IS WORKING ON A PLAN FOR NEW ROAD PROJECTS THROUGH 20-40 THAT SHOULD BE FINALIZED BY THE END OF THE MONTH. THIS MAP SHOWS ROADS ááOVER CAPACITY IN RED. THAT MEANS MORE CARS DRIVE ON THESE STREETS THAN THE CONCRETE CAN HANDLE. BUT NOT ALL OF THEM WILL BE FIXED. ONLY THE ONES SEEING THE MOST TRAFFIC WILL BE EXPANDED.... AND MOST OF THOSE ARE OUT WEST.(PFITZER: there's un reasonable delays, higher than normal accident rates, bad things that come from roadways being over capacity. ) MICHAEL KNAUSS (KUH-NOUSE) LIVES NEAR 125TH AND MILITARY AND HE AGREES WITH PFITZER.(MICHAEL KNAUSS LIVES AT 125TH AND MILITARY- they're so narrow and there's no shoulder and there's drop offs of what is there. )( MICHAEL KNAUSS i feel in some ways its actually dangerous driving') COUNCILMAN BEN GRAY ADMITS WORKS NEEDS TO BE DONE OUT WEST. BUT HE EXPRESSED CONCERN THIS WEEK ABOUT ROADS IN OLDER PARTS OF OMAHA GETTING LEFT OUT. (there's no question that the works needs to be done. I'm just saying that the eastern part of the city ought not be ignored. And we've got to find a way to do both. ) TODD PFITZER TELLS ME SOME OF THE OVER-CAPACITY ROADS IN OLDER PARTS OF OMAHA SIMPLY CAN'T BE WIDENED - PLACES LIKE DOWNTOWN BENSON AND DUNDEE. WE'VE POSTED THE ROAD MAP OF SORTS.. ON WHAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED - AND WHAT'S IN THE PLAN TO BE ADDRESSED. SEE WHERE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD STANDS - ON KETV DOT COM. THIS IS JUST FOR NEW PROJECTS RIGHT? WHAT ABOUT REPAIRING CURRENT STREETS? THERE'S ALSO A NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN THE WORKS THAT WILL ADDRESS MAINTAINANCE COSTS ACROSS THE CITY, THINGS THERE'S NO COST ESTIMATE FOR THE MAINTAINANCE PORTION YET. ALEXANDRA STONE, REPORTING LIVE, THANKS.

Roads projects through 2040 carry hefty price tag

An assessment for Omaha roads projects for the next couple of decades outlines areas where the city needs it the most.